Must-Read Books

The November/December 2010 issue of Foreign Affairs has a list of books that sheds light on the future from 16 foreign policy contributors. I have provided my recommendations on 10 of them. Engineers should read widely - - from history to current events to P.P.E. (politics, philosophy, and economics). Have fun.

1. The Frugal Superpower: America's Global Leadership in a Cash-Strapped Era by Michael Mandelbaum.
2. A Peace to End all Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin.
3. Why the West Rules - - for Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future by Ian Morris.
4. The Clash of Civilization and the Remarking of World Order by Samuel Huntington.
5. On Rumors: How Falsehoods Spread, Why We Believe Them, What Can Be Done by Cass Sunstein.
6. The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It by Paul Collier.
7. Thinking in Systems; A Primer by Donella Meadows (Note - - this is a great book that every engineer should read and have in their bookcase.)
8. The Long View From Delhi: To Define the Indian Grand Strategy for Foreign Policy by Raja Menon and Rajiv Kumar.
9. How Enemies Become Friends: The Sources of Stable Peace by Charles Kupchan.
10. The End of the Free Market: Who Wins the War Between States and Corporations? by Ian Bremmer.